Halo 5: Guardians pre-order info

Overview

If you've pre-ordered Halo 5: Guardians via the Xbox Store (not from a retailer), your Xbox One console will begin downloading the game and any updates so that you're ready to play on October 27, 2015.

Here are a few things you'll need to know:

Your console will need to be set to Instant-On power mode for the game to start downloading when available, and you'll need to be connected to the Xbox Live service. Visit About energy-saving and Instant-On power modes for information on how to see if your console is set to “Instant On.” Note We recommend you keep your console in Instant-On power mode and connected to Xbox Live so that any additional updates to the game can be downloaded automatically.

Once available, the game will appear in your queue and will download in the background without you needing to take any action.

If you try to launch the game before the launch date, you’ll see the loading screen, but you'll be unable to play.

Any additional add-on items, such as REQ Pack content, will also be installed with the game, but it can only be accessed once the game has been launched.

Troubleshooting

If you have any problems with your background installation of Halo 5: Guardians, here are a few troubleshooting steps you can take.

Launching the game goes straight back to the Home screen

If launching the game takes you straight back to the Home screen (i.e., you don’t see a loading screen), the game has not been updated. This may be due to one of the following reasons:

You have not connected to Xbox Live since pre-ordering the game.

You have disabled automatic updating.

You can resolve this problem by connecting to Xbox Live on your console, which will trigger the installation process. If you're already connected to Xbox Live, you can uninstall and reinstall the file that represents Halo 5: Guardians (this is a placeholder and not the entire game).

To uninstall and reinstall:

From the Home screen (press the Xbox button to open the guide, and then select Home), go to My games & apps.

Once the uninstall process has completed, you can search for Halo 5: Guardians in the Store and reinstall. See the steps below on how to do this.

Halo 5: Guardians doesn’t appear in My games & apps

If you don’t see Halo 5: Guardians appearing in your list of games, and you've completed your pre-order, you may need to search for the game in the Store. If the purchase was completed successfully, you won’t need to pay for it again, and the game will be available for you to download.

To search for the game in the Store:

From the Home screen, scroll left to the Store hub and select Search.

Enter “Halo 5: Guardians” to search for the game.

Select Halo 5: Guardians – Pre-Order Edition from the list of available games.

Select Install to begin the installation.

If you don’t see Install available as an option, or if you see a price showing available for purchase, do not attempt to install, as this may result in you being charged again. You can verify if the original purchase was successful by viewing your Microsoft account purchase history. If you see a transaction for Halo 5: Guardians Pre-Order Edition, but you don’t see the option to install the game on your console, contact Xbox Support.